PIA suspends Riyadh flights amid ME tensions

LAHORE:

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) on Friday temporarily suspended its flight operations to Riyadh amid the evolving security situation in the Middle East.

The national flag carrier issued a travel advisory, asking passengers to contact its call centre at 111-786-786 before leaving for the airport to confirm the latest status of their flights.

Meanwhile, airport sources reported widespread cancellations and delays at major airports, with 42 flights cancelled and 68 delayed by two to seven hours.

The disruptions particularly affected Umrah pilgrims as flights to Saudi Arabia were cancelled amid security concerns at various airports in the kingdom. Thousands of passengers faced uncertainty over their travel arrangements as airlines adjusted operations in response to the regional situation.

At Lahore's Allama Iqbal International Airport, 13 flights were cancelled and 12 delayed. Karachi airport reported 10 cancellations and 13 delays, while nine flights were cancelled and eight delayed at Islamabad airport. Multan airport reported seven cancellations.

Two flights were cancelled at Peshawar airport and one at Sialkot airport. Delays were reported at Peshawar, Sialkot, Faisalabad and Quetta airports, where 12, 11, eight and nine flights were delayed, respectively, according to the figures provided.

PIA apologised for the inconvenience caused by the disruption and advised passengers to check their flight schedules before travelling to the airport.